Author:
Publication: Rediff on Net
Date: June 20, 2001
Pakistan's military ruler General
Pervez Musharraf is expected to take oath as President of Pakistan on Wednesday
at 4 pm. Chief Justice Irshad Hasan Khan will administer the oath of secrecy
to the chief executive.
A stage is being set in the Darbar
Hall of the President's House, which is normally used for investiture ceremonies,
a report in Dawn said.
Unconfirmed reports said President
Muhammad Rafiq Tarar has already moved his belongings to Lahore.
According to informed sources, the
general will become the president of Pakistan, while retaining the office
of the chief of army staff.
Islamabad diplomatic circles have
been flooded with reports and rumours of this major political change for
the past many days.
Musharraf will be replacing President
Muhammad Rafiq Tarar. Tarar was noted for his legal scholarship, honesty
and devotion to justice.
Born on November 2, 1929, in Pir
Kot village, Tarar got his law degree from Punjab University law college
in 1951 and started his legal practice in Gujranwala.
In October 1966, he was appointed
additional sessions judge and served in the same capacity in Bahawalnagar
and Sargodha.
He was elevated to the Lahore high
court in 1974, and served as a member of the Election Commission of Pakistan
from 1980, until his elevation as chief justice of the high court on December
13, 1989.
He was elevated to the supreme court
in January 1991. He retired in October 1994, and was elected as a senator
in March 1997.
He became president after only 10
months in active politics.
